Myra Simard rode Dutch Treat to victory in the $25,000 Thermo King Grand Prix held at the St. Lazare Horse Show on May 27 in St. Lazare, QC. Photo by Cealy Tetley

May 27, 2007 – St-Lazare, Quebec – Hometown hero Myra Simard won the $25,000 Thermo King Grand Prix at the St. Lazare Horse Show on Sunday, May 27, in St. Lazare, QC.

The Montreal native and her long-time partner, Dutch Treat, were the only combination to successfully negotiate the first-round course set by American course designer Anthony D'Ambrosio without incurring any faults. With no other rider able to accomplish the same feat, Simard's victory was unchallenged, much to the crowd's delight.

Coming closest to forcing a jump-off was Rebecca Irvine of Brockville, ON. Having jumped a solid round with Rolls Royce, the clock delivered the heartbreaking news - the 26-year-old rider had exceeded the 93-second time allowed to incur one time fault. Both Simard and Irvine train with Paul Halpern who is based in Russell, Ontario.

"I didn't expect to win without a jump-off," said Simard, 27, who was the sixth rider on course. "There were some good horses and riders in the class, and I got lucky when Rebecca had one time fault. I was getting nervous near the end of the class; I thought someone would go clear. I expected a jump-off."

Simard has been partnered with Dutch Treat, her 16-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, for the past 12 years. The pair has competed all over North America, traveling west as Spruce Meadows in Calgary and south to Ocala, Florida. In fact, Simard and Dutch Treat are previous winners of the St. Lazare Grand Prix. However, Simard noted that this year's Grand Prix had a lot more prize money at stake.

"I really think we won because of our partnership," said Simard, who claimed $8,000 for her victory. "The course was quite technical, but my horse was feeling great and jumped terrific. It was his day."

Placing third with the fastest four-fault round was Melissa Marcotte, 23, of St-Nicholas, QC, riding Callida, a 10-year-old grey Oldenburg mare that she imported from Belgium in 2003. Michelle Matthews of Athens, ON, took fourth place, having also incurred four faults riding Hey Jude while Francois Lamontagne of Saint-Eustache, QC, added one time fault to his four-fault round to place fifth riding Quelqu'un de la Musardiere.

The $25,000 Thermo King Grand Prix was the culmination of two weeks of show jumping competition held at the legendary Pépinière Stables. The Pépinière Horse Show ran from May 17-21 while the St. Lazare Horse Show took place from May 23-27, 2007.

During the Pépinière Horse Show, junior rider David Arcand of Montreal, QC, won the $10,000 Pépinière Grand Prix. With Champagne, the 14-year-old grey Holsteiner gelding formerly ridden to great success by Canadian Olympian John Pearce, Arcand got the best of the course designed by Quebec native Michel Vaillancourt.

Formerly organized by renowned horsewoman, the late Gladys Adam, the Pépinière Horse Show and the St. Lazare Horse Show are now managed by Compétitions Eastwood Equine Inc., headed by Mike Lawrence with the able assistance of Competition Manager, Duncan Oswald, and Office Manager, Pia Jones. Each year, the competition pays tribute to Gladys Adam with the $1,500 Gladys Adam Memorial Hunter Classic won this year by Alexandra Joly riding Cadense de la Sea.

The St. Lazare Horse Show is proud to partner with Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital Foundation to raise money for the Cedars Breast Clinic. On Saturday, May 26, approximately 250 spectators enjoyed watching the $5,000 Speed Derby followed by a Breast Cancer Survivor Ride entitled 'Jump for Hope' which featured breast cancer survivors who had recently taken up riding as part of their recovery. A black-tie gala followed.

For more information on the Pépinière and St. Lazare Horse Shows, please visit www.pepinierestables.com.